Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, conventional electric appliances such as television receivers and video decks have employed a control method wherein an operation button provided on an appliance body or remote controller and is operated as desired.
Further, it is possible to operate an electric appliance as desired while a user leaves them without access by using a timer function to execute at a prescribed time an operation set by way of button operation.
Recently, it has been possible to control an electric appliance such as a video deck installed in user""s house by way of interactive operation from the outside, for example, using a tone signal through a telephone line.
However, an electric appliance which is operated by operating an operation button provided on a remote controller or appliance body is disadvantageous in that a user cannot operate the electric appliance from the outside of the house.
Further, an electric appliance which can be operated using timer function is also disadvantageous in that a user cannot change setting of the timer from the outside of the house if it is desired that the setting of the appliance be changed.
An electric appliance which can be controlled through a telephone line in interactive mode is also disadvantageous in that it takes a long time to control the electric appliance because it is required to operate a push button in response to an audio message from the reception side (electric appliance). Further in the case that a plurality of electric appliances is controlled from the outside, a plurality of telephone lines is required individually for respective electric appliances to operate these electric appliances by way of the same manner, therefore high installation cost is disadvantageous.
The present invention is made in view of such problems. It is the object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling from the outside an electric appliance installed in a house.
In the reception device described in the present invention, a reception means receives an electronic mail transmitted through a network, an extraction means extracts a control command interpolated in the electronic mail received by the reception means, and a control means controls a prescribed electric appliance dependently on the control command extracted by the extraction means. For example, the reception means receives an electronic mail transmitted from the transmission side through the Internet, the extraction means extracts the control command for reservation of a recording on a video disk interpolated on the electronic mail received by the reception means, and the control means sets the recording reservation on the video deck corresponding to the control command extracted by the extraction means.
In the reception method described in the present invention, an electronic mail transmitted through a network is received in the reception step, a control command interpolated in the electronic mail received by the reception means is extracted in the extraction step, and a prescribed electric appliance is controlled dependently on the control command extracted by the extraction means in the control step. For example, an electronic mail transmitted from the transmission side through the Internet is received in the reception step, the control command for reservation of a recording on a video deck interpolated on the electronic mail received in the reception step is extracted in the extraction step, and the recording reservation is set corresponding to the control command extracted in the extraction step in the control step.
In the transmission device described in the present invention, an electronic mail input means inputs an electronic mail, an addition means adds a control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance on the electronic mail inputted from the electronic mail input means, and a transmission means transmits the electronic mail on which the control command is added by the addition means through a network. For example, the addition means adds the control command for reserving a recording on a video deck on the electronic mail inputted from the electronic mail input means, and the transmission means transmits the electronic mail on which the control command is added by the addition means to the reception side through the Internet.
In the transmission method described in the present invention, an electronic mail is inputted in an electronic mail input step, a control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance is added in an addition step on the electronic mail inputted in the electronic mail input step, and the electronic mail on which the control command is added in the addition step is transmitted through a network in a transmission step. For example, the control command for reserving a recording on an video deck is added in the addition step on the electronic mail inputted in the electronic mail input step, and the electronic mail on which the control command is added in the addition step is transmitted to the reception side through the Internet in the transmission step.
In the transmission/reception device described in the present invention, on the transmission side, an electronic mail input means receives an electronic mail, an addition means adds a control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance on the electronic mail inputted from the electronic mail input means, and a transmission means transmits the electronic mail on which the control command is added by the addition means through a network, and on the reception side, a reception means receives an electronic mail transmitted through a network, an extraction means extracts a control command interpolated in the electronic mail received by the reception means, and a control means controls a prescribed electric appliance dependent on the control command extracted by the extraction means. For example, on the transmission side, the addition means adds the control command for reservation of a recording on a video dick on the electronic mail inputted from the electronic mail input means, and the transmission means transmits the electronic mail on which the control command is added by the addition means to the reception side through the Internet. On the reception side, the reception means receives the electronic mail transmitted from the transmission side through the Internet, the extraction means extracts the control command for reserving a recording on a video deck interpolated on the electronic mail received by the reception means, and the control means sets the recording reservation on the video deck corresponding to the control command extracted by the extraction means.
In the transmission/reception method described in the present invention, on the transmission side, an electronic mail is inputted in an electronic mail input step, a control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance is added in the addition step on the electronic mail inputted in the electronic mail input step, and the electronic mail on which the control command is added in the addition step is transmitted through a network in a transmission step, and on the reception side, an electronic mail transmitted through a network is received in a reception step, a control command interpolated in the electronic mail received in the reception step is extracted in the extraction step, and a prescribed electric appliance is controlled in a control step dependently on the control command extracted in the extraction step. For example, on the transmission side, the control command for reservation of a recording on a video deck is added in the addition step on the electronic mail inputted in the electronic mail input step, and the electronic mail on which the control command is added in the addition step is transmitted to the reception side though the Internet in the transmission step. On the reception side, the electronic mail transmitted from the transmission side through the Internet is received in the reception step, the control command for reservation of a recording on a video deck interpolated on the electronic mail received in the reception step is extracted in the extraction step, and the recording reservation on the video deck is set in the control step corresponding to the control command extracted in the extraction step.
According to the reception device and reception method described in the present invention, because an electronic mail transmitted through a network is received, a control command interpolated on the received electronic mail is extracted, and a prescribed electric appliance is controlled corresponding to the extracted control command, it is possible to correctly control the electric appliance remotely.
According to the transmission method described in the present invention, because an electric mail is inputted, a control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance is added on the input electronic mail, and the electronic mail on which the control command is added is transmitted through a network, it is possible to rapidly control the electric appliance.
According to the transmission/reception method described in the present invention, because, on the transmission side, an electronic mail is inputted, a control command for controlling a prescribed electric appliance is added on the input electronic mail, and the electronic mail on which the control command is added is transmitted through a network, and on the reception side, the electronic mail transmitted through the network is received, the control command is extracted from the received electronic mail, and the prescribed electric appliance is controlled dependently on the extracted control command, it is possible to control the electric appliance using a single transmission medium.